Valve, in particular proportional pressure regulating valve

ABSTRACT

A valve, in particular proportional pressure regulating valve, having a spring-loaded valve piston ( 10 ) which is guided in longitudinally displaceable fashion, in a manner actuated by an energizable actuating magnet ( 14 ), within a valve housing ( 12 ) and which, in a manner dependent on the displacement position thereof, produces or shuts off again a fluid-conducting connection between a pump port (P) and a working port (A) and between said working port (A) and a tank port (T) in the valve housing, wherein those face sides of the valve piston ( 10 ) which are situated opposite one another are permanently acted on by the pressure of the tank port (T), and wherein the valve piston ( 10 ) has a regulation surface ( 44 ) which is active in terms of pressure and which is connectable in fluid-conducting fashion to the working port (A) for the generation of the regulation pressure (P R ), and having a ring-shaped chamber ( 42 ) in the valve housing ( 10 ), into which ring-shaped chamber the working port (A) opens in a radial or axial direction, characterized in that, on the valve piston ( 10 ), at the location of the transition between the ring-shaped chamber ( 42 ) and the opening-in point of the working port (A), the regulation surface ( 44 ) which is active in terms of pressure is designed such that, in the deenergized state of the actuating magnet ( 14 ), a maximum regulation pressure (P R ) can be generated by virtue of a respective settled state between the force of a compression spring ( 30 ) of the spring-loaded valve piston ( 10 ) and the regulation pressure (P R ) prevailing at the regulation surface ( 44 ) of the valve piston ( 10 ) taking effect.

A valve, in particular a proportional pressure regulating valve, having a spring-loaded valve piston which is guided in a longitudinally displaceable manner and in a manner actuated by an energizable actuating magnet within a valve housing and which, dependent on its displacement position, establishes or shuts off again a fluid-conducting connection between a pump connection and a working connection and between this working connection and a tank connection in the valve housing, wherein those faces sides of the valve piston which are situated opposite one another are permanently pressurized with the pressure of the tank connection and wherein the valve piston has a pressure-active regulation surface, which can be connected in a fluid-conducting manner to the working connection for the generation of the regulation pressure, and having an annular space in the valve housing, into which annular space the working connection opens in a radial or axial direction.

Such valves are already known. For example, document DE 10 2005 022 693 A1 relates to a valve, in particular a proportional pressure limitation valve, having an electrically actuatable magnet system for the actuation of an actuation part, which cooperates with a valve element, which is guided in a longitudinally displaceable manner in a valve housing and which, in one of its opening positions, releases a fluid-conducting connection path between a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet and which, in its shut position, shuts off said path, wherein an energy store, preferably in the form of a compression spring, is arranged between the actuation part and the valve element at a clearance therefrom, which energy store seeks to hold the valve element in the direction of its closed position, and wherein the actuation part is designed as a guide piston, which has a longitudinal guide for the valve element. The known solution ensures that the valve element with its closure part, which, preferably having a seat design, cooperates with a valve seat in the valve housing, always arrives at its envisaged closed position in an axis-precise manner, so that any angular displacement with leakage in the region of the valve seat is reliably prevented. The known valve in principle functions in a force-controlled manner, and any undesirable dynamic effects occurring during operation of the valve are compensated for by the energy store in the form of the compensation spring.

Another valve in the form of a typical proportional pressure regulating valve is disclosed by document DE 10 2013 014 558 A1. Because, in this known valve solution, the respective differential pressure, which is generated during passage through the additional fluid-conducting connection between the utility connection and the tank connection, acts by means of an actuating device on the valve piston in such a way that said valve piston, counteracting a stop position, from which position the additional fluid-conducting connection is increasingly inhibited, passes into a fully opened open position in which, relative to the stop position, an enlarged opening cross section from the utility connection to the tank connection is achieved, an opportunity is thus created to increase the valve piston stroke without having to tolerate the start-up jump of the so-called P-I characteristic curve. The known valve can thus generate a very large opening cross section when releasing a clutch which is connected to the valve, and nevertheless ensure a rapid disengagement of the clutch. In this way, the clutch of a vehicle for example can be smoothly released, which represents a significant safety aspect, in particular in the case of mobile work machines.

Such proportional pressure regulating valves can be designed such that they generate the maximum regulation pressure without energizing of the actuating magnet system, and in technical terms this is expressed as these valves having a so-called failsafe characteristic curve. With increasing current at the actuating magnet, the regulation pressure drops in a continuous manner, and they are therefore frequently used for applications in which, in the case of a power outage, a safe state is obtained only when the maximum regulation pressure is applied at the consumer. It is thus possible for example to actuate clutches which are pressurized in a de-energized manner. As a general rule however, such valves are very frequently equipped with a pilot control.

On the basis of this prior art, the problem addressed by the invention is to realize, preferably in a cost-effective manner, a proportional pressure regulator with a so-called falling characteristic curve. This problem is solved by a valve having the features of claim 1 in its entirety.

Because, in accordance with the characterizing part of claim 1, the pressure-active regulation surface is formed on the valve piston at the transition point between the annular space and the mouth of the working connection in such a way that, in the de-energized state of the actuating magnet, a maximum regulation pressure can be generated, in which a respective adjustment state is produced between the force of a compression spring of the spring-loaded valve piston and the regulation pressure applied at the regulation surface of the valve piston, the regulation pressure of the valve drops linearly over a settable pressure range with increasing energizing of the actuating magnet system. The valve according to the invention is therefore a solution in which a failsafe pressure regulator is realized in a directly controlled manner.

The regulation pressure is measured only at a diameter jump, which forms a pressure-active regulation surface on the regulation piston or valve piston and namely in the region of the respective working connection in the valve housing. All other piston face sides of the valve piston or regulation piston are by contrast essentially pressurized with the tank pressure. In a de-energized manner, a kind of equilibrium is thus obtained between the spring force of the to this extent spring-loaded valve piston and the regulation pressure applied at the circular ring in the form of the diameter jump on the valve piston. If the actuating magnet system is energized, then a portion of said spring force that increases with increasing current is compensated for by the magnetic force of the actuating magnet system and the regulation pressure drops in a preferably linear manner. In order to realize the solution according to the invention, in a particularly preferable manner, a cost-effectively realizable, so-called oppressive magnet system can preferably be used.

The valve solution according to the invention is explained in detail below with reference to two exemplary embodiments according to the drawings. In said drawings, in schematic and not to scale depictions,

FIGS. 1 and 2 show, in a longitudinal section depiction, two different embodiments of the valve according to the invention; and

FIG. 3 shows a P-I characteristic curve progression as a so-called falling characteristic curve, as can be achieved with the valves according to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 shows, in a longitudinal section, the valve according to the invention, in particular in the form of a proportional pressure regulating valve, having a spring-loaded valve piston 10, which is guided in a longitudinally displaceable manner and in a manner actuated by an energizable actuating magnet 14 within a valve housing 12. Depending on the displacement position of the valve piston 10, said valve piston permits a fluid-conducting connection between a pump connection P and a working connection A and between this working connection A and a tank connection T. The valve piston 10 is formed as a hollow piston starting from the face-side tank connection T on the valve housing 12 and is provided with a continuous central channel 16, which opens radially into a transverse channel 18, which discharges into an annular groove 19 in the valve piston 10, which annular groove is delimited at the edge, at least in the de-energized state of the actuating magnet 14 and thus in the position depicted in FIG. 1, by two channel sections 20, 22 of the working connection A in the valve housing 12.

As can also be seen from FIG. 1, a respective connection P, A can consist of several radial bores, which penetrate the valve housing 12 at the external circumference. The valve housing 12 is designed with a shell or cartridge construction and has crossbars 24 at the external circumference which, lying adjacent one another in pairs, delimit between them a receiving groove for receiving an annular sealing- and guiding system which is not depicted in detail. The valve housing 12 can thus be accommodated in the bore of a valve block (not depicted), wherein the actuating magnet 14 with a flange plate 26 can be mounted on such a valve block from the outside and can be correspondingly screwed to this block by means of through holes 28.

A compression spring 30 serves for the spring loading of the valve piston, which compression spring is conically tapered upwards when viewed in the viewing direction of FIG. 1 and which is supported with its one free, top end on a radial broadening 32 of the valve piston 10 and with its other free, bottom end abutting parts 34 of the valve housing 12. The compression spring 30 is penetrated by parts of the valve piston 10, which valve piston in this regard tapers correspondingly in a stepped manner with respect to its diameter in the direction of the broadening 32. The valve piston 10 additionally has a longitudinal groove 36 at the external circumference, which longitudinal groove, in a manner dependent on the displacement position of the valve piston 10, permits a fluid-conducting connection between the pressure connection P and the bottom working connection A or the respective channel section 20. In the region of the tapered top section of the valve piston 10, the central channel 16 thereof is interrupted by a transverse channel 38, which opens into a spring space 40, in which the compression spring 30 is accommodated.

Viewed in the viewing direction of FIG. 1, the top channel section 22 on the circumference of the utility connection A furthermore opens into an expanding annular channel or annular space 42 in the valve housing 12, and the valve piston has a pressure-active regulation surface 44 in its displacement position depicted in FIG. 1 at this transition point between the annular space 42 and the top channel section 22 of the utility connection A. As can be seen from the connection configuration for the valve according to FIG. 1, the faces sides of the valve piston 10 which are situated opposite one another are thus permanently pressurized with the pressure of the tank connection T, and as already described, the valve piston 10 has a pressure-active regulation surface 44, which can be connected in a fluid-conducting manner to the working connection A, as depicted, to generate the regulation pressure P_(R) on the valve piston 10. In the de-energized state of the actuating magnet 14 a maximum regulation pressure P_(R) can thus be generated, in which a respective adjustment state between the force of the compression spring 30 of the spring-loaded valve piston 10 and the regulation pressure P_(R) applied at the regulation surface 44 of the valve piston 10 is produced during operation of the valve. With increasing current I at the actuating magnet 14, the increasing portion of the spring force of the compression spring 30 is compensated for by the magnetic force of the actuating magnet 14, and the regulation pressure P_(R) drops, as is apparent from the depiction according to FIG. 3.

The actuating magnet 14 has a coil winding 46 in a manner which is standard and therefore not described in detail, which coil winding can be energized from the outside via a connector part 48. The entire actuating magnet 14 is encapsulated in a pressure-tight manner by means of a housing part 50, and on the inside a longitudinally displaceable keeper 52 is provided, which acts via an operating plunger 54 having direct contact directly on the valve piston 10. The actuating magnet 14 is designed as a so-called oppressive magnet, i.e., when the coil winding 46 is energized, the keeper 52 travels, viewed in the viewing direction of FIG. 1, out of its de-energized state depicted therein in a downwards direction and also displaces the valve piston 10 downwards counteracting the action of the compression spring 30. For this power transmission, the valve housing 12 for the valve piston 10 is integrated into a bottom housing part 56 of the actuating magnet 14. For the purpose of unimpeded operation of the keeper 52 and in order to achieve a pressure balance within the overall valve system, the keeper 52 is centrally penetrated by a continuous hollow channel 58 which, as depicted, is permanently connected in a fluid-conducting manner to the continuous channel 16 of the valve piston 10.

The regulation pressure P_(R) is measured at the diameter jump at the valve piston 10 in the form of the regulation surface 44, with all other piston face sides being pressurized with the tank pressure. If the actuating magnet 14 is de-energized, a balance is thus obtained between the compression spring 30 and the regulation pressure P_(R) applied at the circular ring, or the regulation surface 44. If the coil winding 46 is now energized, then a portion of the compression spring that increases with increasing current is compensated for by the magnetic force of the actuating magnet 14, and the regulation pressure P_(R) drops, as is depicted in FIG. 3 by means of the P-I-characteristic curve.

The valve solution according to the invention thus makes it possible to realize in a cost-effective manner a proportional pressure regulator with a falling characteristic curve according to the exemplary depiction of FIG. 3.

The additional embodiment of the valve according to the invention in accordance with FIG. 2 is explained below only to the extent that it differs significantly from the previous exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1. The statements made above with regards to the embodiment according to FIG. 1 also apply to the embodiment according to FIG. 2, and components which correspond to one another are referenced with the same references.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, the tank connection T is again located at the bottom axial inlet opening of the valve housing 12. By contrast with the valve solution according to FIG. 1, starting from the tank connection T, this is then followed by the two working connections A with their respective corresponding channel sections 20, 22. Following this and situated lying above, the pump connection P is arranged in the valve housing 12. A longitudinal channel 60 is connected inside the valve housing 12 to the channel section 22 which is at the top viewed in the viewing direction of FIG. 2, which longitudinal channel enters in the upwards direction into the expanded annular channel or annular space 42 arranged in the valve housing 12. In this region of the annular space 42, in accordance with the depiction of FIG. 2, the diameter reduction with the regulation surface 44 is again provided on the valve piston 10. To this extent, by means of the regulation surface 44 the pressure applied in the utility connection A is again activated or adjusted via the longitudinal channel 60 extending vertically upwards inside the annular space 42.

Also in the present exemplary embodiment, the central channel 16 of the hollow piston as a valve piston 10 opens in the radial direction into the transverse channel 18, which is in turn delimited inside the valve piston 10 towards the outside by an annular groove 19. This transverse channel 18 with the annular groove 19 is again arranged in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2 between the two channel sections 20, 22 of the utility connection A; this time however at the bottom end of the valve housing 12 and thus in the opposite direction to the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1. The already described longitudinal groove 36, which extends in a hollow cylindrical manner at the external circumference of the valve piston 10, in accordance with the circuit depiction in FIG. 2 in turn ends at the end between the pump connection P and the top utility connection A with the channel-like section 22.

The longitudinal channel 60 is arranged for the purpose of its production as an overall longitudinal bore in the valve housing 12, which discharges upwards in the direction of the spring space 40, with it being closed in a pressure-tight manner in this discharge region by means of a blind plug 62. Because, in principle, the valve piston 10 is only actuated by the regulation pressure P_(R) at the regulation surface 44, it can act very promptly in a regulating manner on a hydraulic control circuit, so that regulating delays or switching delays during operation of the valve are avoided. 

1. A valve, in particular a proportional pressure regulating valve, having a spring-loaded valve piston (10) which is guided in a longitudinally displaceable manner and in a manner actuated by an energizable actuating magnet (14) within a valve housing (12) and which, dependent on its displacement position, establishes or shuts off again a fluid-conducting connection between a pump connection (P) and a working connection (A) and between this working connection (A) and a tank connection (T) in the valve housing, wherein those faces sides of the valve piston (10) which are situated opposite one another are permanently pressurized with the pressure of the tank connection (T) and wherein the valve piston (10) has a pressure-active regulation surface (44), which can be connected in a fluid-conducting manner to the working connection (A) for the generation of the regulation pressure (PR), and having an annular space (42) in the valve housing (10), into which annular space the working connection (A) opens in a radial or axial direction, characterized in that the pressure-active regulation surface (44) is formed on the valve piston (10) at the transition point between the annular space (42) and the mouth of the working connection (A) in such a way that, in the de-energized state of the actuating magnet (14), a maximum regulation pressure (Pr) can be generated, in which a respective adjustment state is produced between the force of a compression spring (30) of the spring-loaded valve piston (10) and the regulation pressure (Pr) applied at the regulation surface (44) of the valve piston (10).
 2. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the de-energized state of the actuating magnet (14), a maximum regulation pressure (Pr) can be generated, in which a respective adjustment state is produced between the force of a compression spring (30) of the spring-loaded valve piston (10) and the regulation pressure (PR) applied at the regulation surface (44) of the valve piston (10).
 3. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, with increasing current (I) at the actuating magnet (14), the increasing portion of the spring force is compensated by the magnetic force of the actuating magnet (14) and the regulation pressure (Pr) drops.
 4. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating magnet (14) with an oppressive construction is designed in such a way that, with increasing energizing (I) the valve piston (10) is moved, counteracting the action of the spring force, towards the tank connection (T) and thereby increasingly closes the fluid path between the pump connection (P) and the working connection (A).
 5. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure-active surface (44) is formed by means of a diameter jump arranged on the valve piston (10), which is at least partially guided in a displaceable manner in an annular space (42) of the valve housing (10) and in that the working connection (A) opens into this annular space (42) in a radial or axial direction.
 6. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve piston (10) is provided, starting from the tank connection (T), with a continuous channel (16), which opens radially into a transverse channel (18), which discharges into an annular groove (19) in the valve piston (10), which annular groove is delimited at the edges, at least in the de-energized state, by two channel sections (20, 22) of the working connection (A) in the valve housing (12).
 1. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the compression spring (30) abuts with its one free end against the valve piston (10) and with its other free end against parts (34) of the valve housing (12), and in that the valve piston (10) penetrates the compression spring (30).
 8. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure at the tank connection (A) is applied at the one free face-side end of the valve piston (10), which penetrates the valve housing (12) in the axial direction, and in that, an operating plunger (54) of the actuating magnet (14) abuts the other free face-side end of the valve piston (10).
 9. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve piston (10) has a longitudinal groove (30) at the external circumference, which longitudinal groove, depending on the displacement position of the valve piston (10), permits a fluid-conducting connection between the pressure connection (P) and the working connection (A).
 10. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the keeper (52) of the actuating magnet (14) has a continuous hollow channel (58), which is permanently connected in a fluid-conducting manner to the continuous channel (16) of the valve piston (10). 